The present invention relates generally to mobile communication devices such as mobile telephones, pagers, wireless enabled palmtop computers, personal digital assistants (PDA), or the like, and more particularly, to a mobile communication device having a display assembly that may be extended from the housing of the mobile communication device.
Wireless mobile communication devices, in particular mobile telephones, typically include a keypad and a small display for displaying telephony related features (e.g., telephone numbers, caller identification, telephone functions). A typical mobile communication device, in particular a mobile telephone, is illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown, the mobile communication device 100 includes a housing 102 having a front face 104 that includes a keypad 106 and display 108. Because it is desirable to limit the overall size of the housing 102 of the mobile communication device 100, the area of the front face 104 available to the display 108 is limited. Consequently, the display 108 is typically only capable of displaying limited text or graphics.
Often mobile communication systems provide features or applications beyond simple telephony (e.g., Internet access, text messaging, gaming, and the like). It may be desirable for mobile communication devices employing such communication systems to display greater amounts of text or more complex graphics. As a result, the user, to fully take advantage of the features provided by such mobile communication devices, requires a larger display than is necessary for devices providing only simple telephony features.
One way of providing a larger display area for the mobile communication device is to eliminate the telephone keypad and utilize the entire front face of the mobile communication device as a display, overlaid with a touch sensitive panel or touch screen much like a conventional palmtop computer or personal digital assistant. A keypad may then be displayed by the display when telephony functions are used. However, while such mobile communication devices provide an impressive suite of functions (e.g., address books, calendars, Internet access, and the like) to the user, they are typically more expensive than mobile communication devices employing conventional keypads. Further, such mobile communication devices are somewhat less robust than conventional telephony only devices since the large, open display and touch screen are more susceptible to damage than would be a conventional keypad and smaller display.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide a mobile communication device having a display assembly that may be extended from the housing of the mobile communication device to provide a larger display surface for displaying information to a user of the mobile communication device.